


I Came to Win or Lose with You

by Soldier_On



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Ass-Kicking, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I don't know what else to tag I'm new lmao, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-20 09:06:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4781705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soldier_On/pseuds/Soldier_On
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Batman and Wonder Woman love each other, but they'll never admit it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Came to Win or Lose with You

**Author's Note:**

> Song title courtesy of Dessa's "It's Only Me." 
> 
> Think of this as less of a coherent story and more as a series of interweaving one-shots with an eventual romantic resolution. Set after Season 2's Maid of Honor. I'm trying to keep it largely canon compliant, but I make no promises -- this thing's a runaway train.

Bruce had managed to convince himself that it was only justified suspicion on his part that first drew his attention to Diana. Surely, he figured, no human or Amazon could be so giving and kind so as to sacrifice everything they had known to save a world that wasn’t even theirs. Surely. But she had. Diana had made that sacrifice – given everything she had ever known up to help a bunch of strangers. Sometimes when he truly considered her decision, a swell of appreciation and awe swept over him, though he would never admit it. 

While this initial distrust did not wane completely in the months following her appearance, he knew it was something else that kept his eyes lingering on her form for longer and longer periods of time. It was not his distrust that made his heart stop when Diana had almost been crushed by a missile, and it was not his distrust that had conjured a small fire of anger in his gut when he heard Diana deep in discussion with Hawkgirl, about a man named Steve Trevor. It was not his distrust that made his heart fall when, every Sunday like clockwork, Diana would disappear for hours on end from the Watchtower to spend time at a simple old folks home in the city. This went on for months until one unseasonably warm October Sunday when she returned from her ritual with red-rimmed eyes and heavy footsteps. It was not his distrust that despaired at this sight of her trudging, defeated to her room. 

Of course, in his infinite rationality, all this was chalked up to a simple infatuation. Diana was a beautiful woman; anybody with a functioning brain and eyes could see that. The way she carried herself was mesmerizing, and her endless curiosity about “Man’s World,” endearing. 

Bruce was fine. This was not something so treacherous as love. It was a passing interest that would lessen with time, as Bruce came to understand Diana better and convince himself that while she was a great friend and teammate, her faults (and his own) were too great for a relationship between the two of them to function. The problem was, however, that by all accounts Diana had no faults. Still, Bruce was a master negotiator, and he negotiated and twisted and persuaded himself until he was absolutely sure that, yes, he was safe, his mission was safe, and this infatuation would end with the changing of the seasons. 

Only, it didn’t. 

Although he had managed for months to crumple up his budding feelings into a tiny ball in the darkest corner of his mind, he found that they managed to course out of him more often than he was necessarily comfortable with. On missions, his gaze would linger for a second longer when he did a sweep to ensure the positions of everyone present. In the Watchtower, he found reasons to walk by her, and found himself watching her on the security footage (his monitoring shifts have never gone by faster). 

It wasn’t until Paris, however, that he truly knew he was in trouble. 

He wouldn’t go so far as to say it was a complete coincidence he and Diana had ended up at the same party on the same night. Really, he did have business in Paris, but he would be lying if he told himself he didn’t know Diana was in the City of Light – he had overheard a conversation between her and Clark about “getting out there” and “having some fun.” He had thought she might show up at the gala that night, but he wasn’t sure. Checking the guest list would have been a breeze, but he didn’t, instead choosing to let fate decide for him. 

He was pleased when she arrived. 

Oddly enough, when they danced together it was not the feel of her strong warrior’s hand in his own, or the feel of her curves under his palm that alerted him to his current predicament (although they certainly helped). It was when the Kasnian rebel forces had busted through the roof to capture Princess Audrey, and he found himself sitting back to enjoy the show. 

Make no mistake, Bruce did genuinely take pleasure in seeing Wonder Woman go to work. The grace and power that she seemed to exude so naturally as Diana seemed amplified one hundred fold when she was stepping up to a challenge as Wonder Woman. More importantly, though, she was efficient, essentially invulnerable, and kept a cool head under most circumstances (though during the times when she didn’t, Bruce had found he had begun whispering a prayer for her opponent). Wonder Woman was a wonderful teammate, and an incredible asset for the Justice League. Bruce often wondered if she even had a single practical weakness in the world – a Kryptonite, per se. So far, he had turned up blanks. All of this though had never stopped him from jumping into a fight, even one he was 95% sure she had in the bag, because that 5% was too great a risk.

So, that night in Paris when he found himself relaxing while Diana demolished her enemies, Bruce came to a startling conclusion: he trusted her. He trusted her to complete her missions, to save the day, to uphold her status as a Justice League member. In that instance, he trusted her to fight and win against the bad guys in his stead. 

So earth-shattering was this discovery to him that the other thought that crossed his mind could barely take hold: he loved her. 

This was no longer suspicion or a passing interest. This was big. Dangerous. Maybe even life threatening. This feeling was foreign to him. Like an old tome you might find in the back shelves of a library and have to dust off before cracking the spine. He had of course, been with other women before – that part wasn’t new. He had wanted to fuck women before, both as a way to encourage rumors about Bruce Wayne’s playboy tendencies and as a means to satisfy his personal carnal urges. His latest conquest had been pretty blonde news reporter who had come from the UK to do a story about him and Wayne Enterprises. Bruce had bent her over the table in the conference room and tangled his hand deep into the roots of her hair and pulled. The sex was good. They had both left the room satisfied, and she went back home with a news story as well as a story she could share in a hushed voice with her closest confidantes.

The issue was, Bruce didn’t want to fuck Diana (well, he did, but that’s besides the point) he wanted to love her. He wanted her to love him. It was uncomfortable, and vulnerable, and Bruce found he was angry with himself now more than ever. 

He was scared, and he knew it, but he didn’t know how to stop it. 

* * *

Diana wasn’t really sure when she had started feeling some type of way for Batman. All she knew was that one day she was fine, and the next he was her first thought when she woke up. She had thought perhaps she had had, a…erm… dream about him that had influenced her thoughts the following day, but when she really had a chance to sit and think about it, she realized that an affection had been building for quite some time. She didn’t know how to feel about this. Shocked, at first, and then slightly overwhelmed, and then… well she didn’t know – she was still in the overwhelmed stage of things. 

She did admire Batman; she always had, despite some obvious character flaws. He was strong, and solid, and reliable, and honorable. She never felt safer than when he was at her back, a sentiment that upon examination seemed strange. She fought side by side with the Man of Steel, the Green Lantern, the fastest man in the world, a Martian, and a Thanagarian, and she still never felt as safe and protected as she did when a mere man, a non Metahuman no less, was watching her back. 

Batman’s unyielding courage in the face of adversity had earned her respect and high regards, but she herself was curious of the exact moment these innocent feelings had turned to more romantic pursuits. Was it all those times his voice in her COM-Link had made her feel secure when she had felt like her entire being was held together by threads, or perhaps the many times she had witnessed him jumping headfirst into danger with no regard for himself, only for the safety of civilians, or their teammates. Perhaps it was… yes, it seemed obvious now: that fall day when she had felt sadness so consuming that she thought it might have swallowed her whole.

That day in October when she had returned to the Watchtower, feeling beaten and bruised despite there not being a single mark on her, her eyes itchy with unshed tears for the first man she had kissed, Steve Trevor. She had hoped she would not see anyone as she shuffled to her room, but as luck would have it, came face to face with the Flash (she liked the guy, she really did, but she was not prepared then to deal with the nonstop stream of speech that she knew would hit her like a brick wall if he were to get the chance to open his mouth). 

Before she could make excuses, or say anything really, Batman was there. Growling, not at her but at poor Flash, to hustle and to get-to-monitoring-duty-because-some-of-us-have-actual-things-to-do-hurry-it-up-I-thought-you-were-the-fastest-man-on-Earth-or-is-that-not-applicable-now-that-we’re-off-planet. Diana had felt the relief wash over her, but was only able to catch a glimpse of Batman’s expression (or what little of it was exposed under his cowl) before she continued on to her room. 

What she saw surprised her. She saw sympathy, and a deep sadness. She saw understanding. She barely registered any of it before she turned into her room and collapsed into bed. When she woke, his face still lingered in her thoughts. Looking back on this moment, Diana knew, this was when her simple feelings had turned into something more. 

Diana was never one to lie to herself, so there was no posturing that occurred when she realized she loved Batman. She had never been one to have crushes, or silly infatuations. She loved a full love right from the beginning. This part of herself did not bother her. The object of her affection, however, was a different story. That day in October when he had shown her a piece of himself under his mask was the closest she had ever gotten to seeing what rested inside the man. He was ridiculously private, and endlessly cagey about any details that may give away any aspect of his other life. Even with this small amount of knowledge, Diana could easily predict the turn their relationship may take if she ever revealed her feelings. While she had always prided herself in her conviction to always speak the truth of what was in her heart, she also valued her current standing with Batman, as teammates with a healthy amount of respect for each other. She could not risk this bond, not yet. She had already lost her home, she could not bear to lose the trust and respect of someone she had admired, and Goddesses forbid if something happened with the League. She hoped Aphrodite would forgive her for her cowardice this time; she simply had too much to lose. 

Paris, however, was when things changed between them. Paris was where Diana met Bruce. She initially had not been sure if the man who had swept her away from all those reporters was the one and the same Dark Knight. Bruce was suave, and gentlemanly, and charming, characteristics she had not especially noted in Batman. However, when he leaned in closer to speak over the music as they danced, she knew. Diana had heard that voice what felt like a thousand times before, echoing in her head, calming her. It was unmistakable. This was Batman, letting her in, even if just a little bit (and even if he flat out denied it later on). 

She was elated, she could fly right to the moon, she could feel his hand steady against her hip as they danced. She wanted to lean into him and tell him what she was feeling right then – unfortunately, life has a way of interrupting. The Kasnian rebels weren’t difficult to defeat, but they did leave her with a whole host of troubles to contend with before she and Batman, Bruce, would get a chance talk again. 

The mission with Audrey went relatively smoothly, for all intents and purposes – no major injuries, no one especially important to her had died, and it gave her a welcome distraction to the feelings she had almost felt bubble out at the gala. This was not to say, of course, that Princess Audrey was simply a distraction to her. Diana liked the princess, for all her faults, and hoped they would remain friends in the future, after she managed to stabilize Kasnia. 

The mission, though, was valuable for another reason. She sometimes forgot what it was like to work one-on-one with Batman, but as a team they functioned extremely well. She enjoyed it, felt like perhaps they had a bond when they were fighting together. Batman could always be relied upon to have a trick up his sleeve, too, and this made him pretty ideal as a partner. She often wondered if he had a contingency plan for every conceivable situation. He probably did. 

After that mission things seemed a little different between them. Sometimes she still felt the ghost of his hand resting on her hip, and she liked to think that sometimes he thought of his large hands softly enclosed around her own.


End file.
